15 October 2012

Paprocki running for vocations

On Sunday Bishop Paprocki will run his nineteenth marathon - this year in St. Louis - to help raise funds for charitable causes.  Since 1995, His Excellency has raised more than $330,000 for a variety of causes, including Pro-Life organizations and the Chicago Legal Clinic.  This year, he will be running for vocations.


Writing in the Catholic Times, Bishop Paprocki explained the need the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois has for additional funds for the formation of seminarians:

Since my installation as your bishop on June 22, 2010, I have spoken frequently in our parishes and on various other occasions about the need to pray for and promote increased vocations to the priesthood and religious life. God has so far answered our prayers with an increase from 11 seminarians in 2010 to our current number of 25. 
While the growing number of candidates for the priesthood is most welcome and needed for the future of the diocese, it also comes with a cost. At the college level the diocese splits the costs of tuition, room and board with the seminarians and their families, giving loans, if needed, that the diocese assumes if the men are ordained priests. At the level of the major seminary, the diocese pays the full tuition, room and board of the seminarians, plus health insurance and a monthly stipend. If you have ever sent a son or daughter to college, you know how expensive higher education is. We are sending 25 of our diocese's sons to college and major seminaries, so you can see that training our future priests needs more than prayers, but some real revenue as well!
Bishop Paprocki invites those who are able and willing to "consider donating a dollar or more per mile to support my 26.2 mile Run for Vocations. If you are able to 'go the extra mile' and underwrite the full cost of one year's education for one of our seminarians, please contact me or our director of vocations, Father Christopher House, by telephone at (217) 698-8500 or by e-mail at vocations@dio.org."
If you are able to make a donation, you do so online or mail in your pledge.  Any gift you can give will very much be appreciated!
Please, pray for our seminarians every day, that will be formed after the heart of Jesus Christ.




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